Yet another front page article in today's Advertiser about city drinking.  Apparantly a 3am 'lockout' system that stops people entering licensed venues in the city will greatly reduce alcohol related crime, in the city.  A similar project in Melbourne has supopsedly reduced such crime by a staggering 20%.  The article doesn't tell us how much such crime rose in surburban areas without the lockout system though.  Similarly opposition to a non-voluntary lockout scheme in Adelaide claim it will drive many people to surburban hotels, where there is far less police presence.

I can sympathise with the police, it's surely draining to know every weekend the sort of drunken idiots you're going to have to deal with.  Comments like "Many young people....are consuming far too much alcohol for their own good and for the good of society" (emphasis added) do make you seem like a rather pompous idiot though.

My initial thoughts are being stuck in a stuffy club and knowing if I leave I can't drink for the rest of the night is going to make me drink more, not less.  All that time walking between clubs and getting bites to eat and whatever is less time spent drinking.  Also being stuck in a club with someone who for whatever reason may want to cause trouble with me, would lead to more violence as I just can't go somewhere else?

Everyone that goes to clubs are adults, at least they should be.  Why not respect their right to freedom of movement and to make their own decisions.  We are still supposedly in a free society right?  Free even to get sh*t-faced drunk as long as we don't break any crimes.  Why don't we look at why some people when drunk apparantly get violent or cause other crimes rather than simply trying to restrict everyone to a service most people still use legally and without problem.